Marin History Watch: Renaissance landowner named Vioget

On Dec. 16, 1844, the Mexican government officially granted Swiss-born Jean Vioget (pictured) thousands of acres of land in Sonoma and northern Marin he dubbed Rancho Blucher, after a Prussian field marshal who fought at Waterloo. By then sea captain Vioget had a full resume — he had been a drummer boy in Napoleon's army, an engineer in Batavia, a lieutenant in the Brazilian Navy and the first surveyor of Yerba Buena (where he also operated a saloon that housed the city's only billiard table). Vioget also spoke several languages and was an accomplished violinist and painter. Rancho Blucher was later sold to Captain Stephen Smith, grantee of Rancho Bodega to the north.

History Watch is provided by the Marin History Museum, www.marinhistory.org, and appears Tuesday in the Generations section. Images included in History Watch are available for purchase by calling 382-0770 or by email at photoservices@marinhistory.org